Red Dead Redemption 2

# Red Dead Redemption 2 with Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 produces a highly capable system for Red Dead Redemption 2, though the data reveals that this pairing is far more GPU-bound at higher settings than the CPU's mid-range positioning might suggest. The measured frame rates across resolutions and presets show a clear hierarchy: Low settings deliver exceptional headroom, Medium offers a balanced experience, High provides the best visual quality at acceptable frame rates, and Ultra pushes the system to its limits. This analysis examines the measured results to determine optimal settings, component roles, and how this specific combo ranks against the broader benchmark database.

Settings Recommendations

For Red Dead Redemption 2, the measured data shows that the High preset offers the best practical balance between visual fidelity and playable performance across all three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, High yields an average of 134 FPS, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay. Moving to 2560x1440, High drops to 100 FPS average, still comfortably within high-refresh territory. Even at 3840x2160, High maintains a 66 FPS average, which is playable for most users. The Ultra preset, by contrast, produces 96 FPS at 1080p, 72 FPS at 1440p, and only 48 FPS at 4K — the latter falling below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a smooth experience. Given that High is only a modest step down in visual quality from Ultra in most games, the data suggests that High is the recommended preset for this combo, especially at higher resolutions.

If maximum frame rates are the priority, Low settings deliver extraordinary performance: 214 FPS at 1080p, 160 FPS at 1440p, and 106 FPS at 4K. These numbers indicate that the system can handle competitive or fast-paced play with ease, but the visual sacrifice is significant. Medium settings offer a middle ground — 161 FPS at 1080p, 120 FPS at 1440p, and 79 FPS at 4K — with the 4K result being particularly noteworthy as it stays above 60 FPS while providing better visuals than Low. For users with high-refresh monitors (144Hz or above), Medium at 1080p or 1440p is the sweet spot, as the 120-161 FPS range takes better advantage of display capabilities than High's 100-134 FPS. However, for those prioritizing image quality on a 4K display, High's 66 FPS is the more compelling choice than Ultra's 48 FPS, as the frame rate difference is more noticeable than the incremental graphical improvements.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and the measured results reflect its substantial capabilities. With 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, the GPU has ample resources for Red Dead Redemption 2's large open-world textures. The 16384 shading units and 128 RT cores provide raw compute power that scales well with resolution increases, as evidenced by the frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor at all resolutions — the CPU is capable of feeding it more frames, but the GPU's workload caps performance at 214 FPS at 1080p and 106 FPS at 4K.

The RTX 4090's clock speeds — a base of 2235 MHz and boost of 2520 MHz — contribute to its consistent performance across presets. The data shows that the GPU handles the transition from Low to Medium with a modest frame rate penalty (e.g., from 214 to 161 FPS at 1080p, a 25% drop), but the jump from Medium to High is more substantial (161 to 134 FPS, a 17% drop), and High to Ultra is the steepest (134 to 96 FPS, a 28% drop). This pattern indicates that the RTX 4090's memory bandwidth and compute resources are being increasingly taxed as settings rise, with Ultra's effects pushing the GPU toward its limits at 4K. The GPU's 450 W TDP and triple-slot design reflect its high-end nature, and the measured 48 FPS at 4K Ultra shows that even this flagship card cannot fully brute-force the most demanding preset at the highest resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 1440p to 4K reveals how this combo scales with pixel count, and the data shows that the RTX 4090 maintains strong performance as resolution increases, though the CPU's influence diminishes at higher settings. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 214 FPS at 1080p to 160 FPS at 1440p (a 25% reduction) and then to 106 FPS at 4K (a 34% reduction from 1440p). This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario where pixel throughput is the primary constraint. At High settings, the progression is 134 FPS at 1080p, 100 FPS at 1440p (a 25% drop), and 66 FPS at 4K (a 34% drop from 1440p) — nearly identical scaling percentages, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor across all tested presets.

The resolution scaling data provides insight into the CPU's role. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 214 FPS, which is high enough to potentially expose CPU bottlenecks in certain scenes, but the consistent scaling pattern suggests the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is keeping up with the RTX 4090's output. At 4K Ultra, the 48 FPS result is purely GPU-limited, as the CPU has plenty of headroom at that resolution. The fact that the 1080p-to-1440p drop is nearly identical across all presets (around 25%) indicates that neither component is dramatically underperforming at any resolution. The 4K-to-1080p ratio at High settings — 66 FPS vs 134 FPS — shows that the GPU's performance scales roughly linearly with pixel count, which is typical for a memory-bandwidth-bound scenario. This suggests that users with 1440p or 4K displays will get the most out of this combo, while 1080p users may be leaving some GPU performance on the table unless they push for very high refresh rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this pairing in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 112 out of 2902 tested combinations, placing it in the top 4% of all configurations in the benchmark database. This is a strong showing that reflects the RTX 4090's dominance in the GPU hierarchy, even when paired with a mid-range CPU like the Intel Core Ultra 5 225. The rank indicates that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting in this game, as the CPU's overall benchmark percentile (85th vs all CPUs) is respectable but not top-tier, while the GPU's percentile (88th vs all GPUs) is similarly high. The fact that this combo ranks higher than either component's individual percentile suggests that Red Dead Redemption 2 is particularly well-optimized for the RTX 4090's architecture, or that the CPU is not holding the GPU back in this title.

The rank of 112 out of 2902 also provides context for expectations. There are 111 other combos that perform better, which likely include top-tier CPUs paired with the RTX 4090 or possibly other flagship GPUs. However, the delta between this combo and those above it is likely small in practical terms, as the measured frame rates at High settings (66-134 FPS across resolutions) are already at or above the thresholds most gamers target. The data does not include individual rival combos for direct comparison, but the nearestRivals data for the CPU and GPU individually shows that both components are competitive within their respective categories. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, has an average score only 0% different, while the GPU's nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, is also 0% different — indicating that neither component is an outlier in its class.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide adequate data locality for game workloads, though Red Dead Redemption 2's engine is not particularly cache-sensitive compared to other titles. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36938, places it in the upper-midrange of processors, and its nearest rivals (AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, Ryzen 5 5500X3D, Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450, Intel Core i9-12900T) all have average scores within 0.5% of the Ultra 5 225. This suggests that the CPU is well-matched to its class, but it is not a top-tier processor by any means.

In the context of Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU, as the measured frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings changes. The 10 cores and 10 threads are sufficient for the game's threading model, which typically utilizes 4-6 threads for gameplay logic and physics. The boost clock of 4.90 GHz provides strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for game logic and draw call processing, and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 demonstrates solid IPC. However, the data does not show any CPU-related bottlenecks in the measured results — the frame rate drops from Low to Ultra are consistent with GPU workload increases, and the resolution scaling follows a predictable pattern. This indicates that the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is capable of feeding the RTX 4090 without holding it back in this game, even at 1080p Low where frame rates exceed 200 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 4K?

A: The High preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 66 FPS, which is playable. Medium produces 79 FPS, while Ultra drops to 48 FPS — below the 60 FPS threshold. High offers the best visual quality while maintaining playable frame rates at 4K.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. Frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, and the system achieves 214 FPS at 1080p Low, which would expose CPU limitations if they existed. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225's 10 cores and 4.90 GHz boost clock appear sufficient for this title.

Q: How does this combo's performance rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 112th out of 2902 tested combinations in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the top 4% of all configurations. The RTX 4090's strong performance drives this high ranking.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the measured average is 100 FPS. This provides a smooth experience for high-refresh monitors, and the minimum FPS of 102 at Medium settings suggests good frame time consistency.

Q: Is there a significant performance difference between Low and Ultra presets?

A: Yes, the difference is substantial. At 1080p, Low averages 214 FPS while Ultra averages 96 FPS — a 55% reduction. At 4K, Low averages 106 FPS while Ultra averages 48 FPS — a 55% reduction. The GPU is heavily taxed by Ultra settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4090's memory configuration affect performance in this game?

A: The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures that Red Dead Redemption 2's textures and assets are handled without memory-related stutters. The 384-bit bus provides sufficient bandwidth for the game's open-world streaming, as evidenced by consistent frame rates across all tested presets.